Flesh and Blood
by Zwoosh-K9
Summary: One-shot: Alex, twenty-two, reminisces on how he fell in love and eventually settled down. His life had never been fair, but for once Alex had regained a sliver of normality in the form of his partner. Wolf/Alex, contains violence, implied sex and gay relations. Rated T, but readers take caution if such content offends you.


**Ahoy folks,**

**I'm going to warn you now, here, at the top, in bold, about the contents of this story. If anything below this little warning offends you then tough cookies. Click the little arrow in the top left hand corner and forget you ever came here.**

**I will not tolerate those who ignore the above message.**

**This story contains implied sex, violence, high octane chases, awesome writing, your favourite characters and a one hell of a lot of fanboy extremism. In all honesty this is just a one-shot about a Wolf and Alex ship…**

**But Zwoosh-K9, hasn't that already been done before?**

**I'm glad you asked, but you see, I'm a cheapskate, incredibly lazy and I've always wanted to write my own. So this is the final product. Had thought about making things more saucier than this (this is bone dry considering) but decided against it for the age rating and what not… If you know what I mean ;D**

**I'll leave you to make judgement on it. I moved beyond my usual comfort zone to write this, so any comment or feedback would be good. I might write a follow-up or a continuation simply for the fun of it if I want to, but that all depends really.**

**Oh, and just to reiterate:** **I will not tolerate those who ignore the very beginning of this message.**

**Flesh and Blood:**

* * *

17/9/18  
England: Satterthwaite  
23:48 GMT

The keyboard tapped away, Alex's fingers moving deftly across the keys. The monitor in front of him cast the only illumination in the room, a long gracing shadow trailing behind him. A chilling breeze blew in through the open window, but he barely shivered. The keys still clicked, accompanied by the dull ticks of each clock that adorned one wall. They showed different times across the globe, a part of both Alex's and his partner's job. His fingers were numb, but he kept on typing, filling the screen with characters, then sentences, paragraphs and then documents. Documents that would soon condemn a human trafficking operation he had been recently investigating. All in a days work.

Alex glanced at his wrist, fleetingly catching the time. He stopped, and glanced again, only this time staring intently at the chrome design and elegant hands as they whirled endlessly in circles. It had been a present; a wedding gift off of his partner. He'd had his eye on it for weeks leading up to the ceremony, and suddenly he was presented it on their honeymoon. It had been years since they'd 'tied the knot', but Alex could still feel the love and compassion he'd fallen for all those years ago. Although, truth be told their relationship had been rocky at first. He'd been name called; bullied and abused by the one he admired. Looking back in hindsight it was miraculous that the pair had eventually gotten back together. Whilst they'd known each other for a while, the dominoes hadn't started falling until five years ago with a hectic series of unexpected circumstances and events…

* * *

_10/5/13_

_Libya: Ra's al Helal _

_02:14 UTC_

_Alex crouched down behind the outcrop, holding his breath as torch beams slid over him silently. He daren't move; he didn't dare breathe. The men looking for him barked more orders, stomping off to someplace else in the vast cavern. He counted silently as the sound of splashing footsteps echoed away into nothingness. Peering up over the rocks, he warily scanned about the dark, looking for odd shapes or figures. He saw none._

_He heaved himself up, vaulting over the outcrop and landing with a soft thud on the mossy rocks. There was running water nearby; there must be an exit. Alex listened intently. The unmistakable roar of water was distant, but he had faith. The sole reason he'd gotten so far was by instinct alone. He could make it. He _would_ make it._

_He isolated the sound and sprinted towards it, trying his best to cover his tracks and keep as quiet as possible. Mercenaries were crawling all over the place, some armed with snarling Alsatians. He would be in dire trouble should he give his position away; he hoped for some pitiful miracle that he his distress call had gotten through to Jones._

_Alex's boot slammed into a shallow puddle, the water kicking up in waves. The splash rang out through the cavern. The murmur of voices and footsteps stopped, only to be immediately replaced by the howls of dogs and the shouts of men. Cursing, Alex began running, not caring if he made a sound or not. He heard the clink of metal behind him, the scraping of claws against rock as the dogs regained lost ground between them and their hunt. He carried on running; oxygen burning his lungs as he desperately evaded the hounds of his pursuers. Hastily, his hand felt around for the revolver he'd stolen off the villager he'd met in Ra's al Helal. He recounted the bullets he had left; one was in the forehead of his prison guard, and another lodged in some rocks about half a mile back when he'd been spotted the first time. That meant he had four shots; four men, or four mutts. He prayed he wouldn't have t waste them on animals, and instead on actual armed mercenaries. The mercenaries had a choice, the dogs were just brainwashed to do as they were told. That wouldn't have been fair._

_Growling snapped out from behind him, a set of huge, vicious fangs clenching shut at the air just behind the small of his back. He kicked out wildly with one heavy boot, clipping the dog's muzzle with his heel. The hound yelped, and stumbled in the dark. Alex didn't look back to see whether the dog was down for the count or not; he had to keep running. _

_Without a torch, Alex had no idea where he was going. He had to just run blindly in one direction and make up his plan of escape as he went along. So far he'd made a hash of it all. Someone had leaked information that he was in Libya to investigate dealings hidden behind recent public protests due to an outcry in political dishevelment – not that he had any particular interest in politics. Suffice to say what he had found was a dark human trafficking operation, but he hadn't so far been able to do anything to put a stop to it. His hand tapped the tiny scrap of paper in his pocket. So long as he got away he could still foil their plans. He had a name; he had visual proof of their dealings; now he just needed that all important final stake to the heart and the operation would wither away._

_There was a gap in the rock face high above him. The only problem was whether Alex could reach it in time before any of the dogs or men caught up with him. He didn't have much choice. He scrambled up the first few feet easily before the gradient became steeper. Clawing along with his hands and boots, he scaled further up the slope as it leant up into a sheer wall. It seems Smithers' new protégé was worth his salt; the gloves and boots were working perfectly, and hadn't failed him since trying them when he first arrived in Libya. The flexible alloy that threaded through the fabric meant his hands were brutally punished as they always ended up being when on a mission, and had already saved his fingers from being sawn off. _

_Savage barking and the pound of footsteps urged Alex to climb faster, begged him to move quicker. More shots were fired, ricocheting off the rocks of the cavern as the guards took turns in laughing as they attempted to shoot down him first. He could hear them talking over the dogs' snarls taking bets at who could get him down first. _

"_Time for some payback, me thinks…" Alex muttered under his breath. He settled himself with a strong foothold and steadied himself. Rummaging through his assault jacket he located the smoke grenade disguised as a cigarette packet. He flicked it up deftly with one hand, and found the specially marked cigarette. Alex slid it out about an inch, rotated it a half turn and then slid it back down. He heard a click, and then counted the seconds as the device primed itself. He reached five seconds before he chucked the packet over his shoulder. It sailed through the air, bursting into a great cloud of thick, black smoke that instantly sunk down and swallowed the entire cavern. The guards coughed and spluttered, firing off random bullets in all directions. The chaos was a good distraction, but any stray shot could hit Alex; he heaved himself further up the last few feet to the gap. The sound of running water was louder here, and the spy picked himself up and squeezed through the narrow opening the wall. _

_The drop down was sudden and unexpected, and Alex flailed for grip as he fell down the waterfall. The mossy face didn't allow him any purchase, and tumbled down and plunged deep into the muddy water. He sunk straight to the bottom before he kicked out and thrust himself upwards. He broke the surface with a gasp of air, and sucked greedily as he was finally given some moment of rest. Treading water for a couple of seconds he admired his surroundings of leafy plant life and fenced wild grass. Not quite as tropical as he had encountered, but it had that exotic touch to it not to feel so bland. Over the ridge of the pool Alex was in were murmurings and Alex swam with quiet strokes to the edge, careful not to make too much noise._

_He peeked over the verge, only to find a mass of tourists conversing about the sightseeing they were about to do. Why the hell they were there at this ungodly hour was beyond him, but their presence was actually convenient. They could, if necessary, slow down Alex's pursuers, even offer a delay by pointing them in the wrong direction if needs be. The tour guide stood helpless trying to get all their attention, a wiry man in a hideous fluorescent jacket with a megaphone that had probably served better days. They looked American, possibly Canadian if Alex was to go by a few of their accents, but he didn't have time for this. He could break cover and demand the use of one of their vehicles or he could steal one. Either way he risked exposure. An idea suddenly came to mind, but he knew he would need an incredible amount of luck to pull it off._

"_You there! Give me your car keys!" He roared in dodgy Arabic, "Now!" he brandished his army knife, flashing the serrated edge about trying to fool the petrified tourists. He didn't have a gun, and so only hoped that nobody else wouldn't realise he wasn't a bandit or thug._

"_Please! Don't hurt us!" A man squealed, shielding his wife in an act of cowardly bravery. Most of them were now huddling together, waiting for whatever fate Alex had in store for them._

"_What's he saying?" a plump woman from the back of the group piped up, attempting to show some dignity despite not being at the front of the crowd and well away from the 'madman'. The tour guide timidly stepped up to take the honour of translating._

"_I want your car keys and a mobile. Give them to me now!" Alex flicked the knife dangerously close to the wiry man's neck, although he never intended to harm any of them. He just needed a quick getaway and a means to call home. He tried to lather his voice with whatever foreign tone would best appease them and give him the overall appearance of a mercenary of sorts. There was enough mud and dirt smeared across his face from the pool to cover his features, and his assault clothes were pretty much indiscriminate. Out here he had no identity, so he was free to mould himself into whatever the situation demanded of him. _

"_Somebody give the man your car keys and phone. Do as he says or he'll kill us all!" Alex frowned. He never said any of that… He glanced around him and looked up the ledge where he had come from. Figures were moving through the undergrowth, and the yells of orders were carrying out across the dawn's air. He was back in the chase again, he had to get going. Desperately he looked about to see that a barrel of a man was offering his keys and mobile, so Alex snatched them without so much as another word. The car was easy to find, and was astonishingly a brand new four-by-four vehicle. Shame the guy was going to lose the car; it was beautiful. _

_Alex lunged into the car, slipping the key into the ignition just as a few dogs burst through the wild grass and launched at the car. The glass cracked and the metal dented under the impact, and Alex swiftly slammed the clutch into reverse. The dogs skidded off the hood, but they weren't deterred. Spurred on by their masters, they leapt at the car again, managing to smash through the driver's window and began trying to snap at Alex. He elbowed one in the muzzle, and it fell back whining. He pressed his foot down hard on the accelerator pedal as he put the car into the first gear. The tyres spun uselessly as they tried to gain friction against the dirt road, but eventually they locked and the car sped forwards. _

_The guards followed the dogs, crashing out of the overgrowth in a bid to get at Alex. They fired several shots at the car, but they all caught harmlessly into the car bumper. The back windscreen was smashed and shattered, and the wind blew through ruffling Alex's soaked hair. He picked up speed, shifting through second, third and then to fourth gear as he drove towards the village. _

_Alex kept one hand on the steering wheel as he picked up the mobile that had fallen to the passenger seat. He dialled the security number he'd been given. It took only four rings before someone picked up on the other end,_

"_Hello, Royal and General Bank, Susan speaking; how can I-"_

"_How fascinating!" Alex exclaimed rudely, "Just do your job and put me through to Jones, this is Agent Rider."_

"_I'm sorry sir," the woman stammered, taken aback by Alex's brash approach, "I believe you may have the wrong number…"_

"_Of for fuck sake…" He growled, swerving the car to avoid a cluster of rocks near the edge of the road as he came to a sharp turn, "Six, eight, one, three, five, five, two dash alpha; now get me fucking Jones on the line!"_

"_As you wish sir," the woman replied, now in a sudden change in demeanour from shocked to calm and decisive. "I'm sorry for the act, but one never knows these days."_

"_No I understand," Alex huffed, pressing the mobile against his ear and shoulder whilst he gripped the wheel with both hands. Two cars were now following him, and so he switched into fifth gear. "Good acting though."_

"_Thank you. Mrs Jones will be on the line in a second."_

_Then the line cut, and was replaced with the tired albeit commanding voice of Jones,_

"_What is it Rider?"_

"_I need extraction. I have evidence that will close the White Rock down for good." Alex glanced at his watch and made the calculations, expecting the inevitable from Jones._

"_How long will it take you to get to the beach there?"_

"_Approximately four minutes. Get a lock on the GPS signal in the phone I'm using; I'm in Cyrenaica, in Derna. What am I looking out for?"_

"_SAS are picking you up. An MI6 operative will be there to debrief you and collect the evidence. I'll see you soon Alex." The line went dead, and Alex chucked the phone back onto the passenger seat. He rammed his foot down harder, the engine straining to deliver the horsepower that kept the distance between him and his pursuers. The beach was, in all honesty, in sight, but the only problem was that his followers were biting on his heels. Twice they clipped the bumper, but the narrow track failed to give them room to overtake and barge him off the road. Several quad bikes screeched past his car, burrowing through the growth of plants as they tried to get ahead of him and cut him off. They were armed and shot back strings of gunfire behind them with poor accuracy. Only a few bullets actually hit the hood of the car, and one lucky shot managed to finally break the front windshield._

_Alex seized his chance. The beach was now only a gentle but craggy slope away. He could see the helicopter in the distance getting closer and closer. He violently swerved the car and took it down the slope, the suspension bearing most of the brunt. His pursuers weren't about to give up. Warily, they made their cars go down the same slope, but not with the same successful result. Their cars were bog standard to the point that they were rusting and barely holding together. Alex saw in the wing mirror as one car lost its grip and got lodged between two outcrops. _

_The car jostled and bumped as it came into contact with the sand. There was only some resistance, and Alex was thankful that he'd luckily got a car that had four-by-four controls. He had more grip than those behind him, whom he watched with mixed amusement as they sat stuck in the soft sand. The car powered forwards, heading near to the water's edge where the tide lapped in waves. The helicopter was nearly above him now, and it slowly found a place to settle over the beach, hovering only slightly. Alex grabbed his stuff and clambered out of the car, ducking down behind the body to avoid the shots being fired. The quad bikes had now re-joined the pursuit and tearing along the golden sand towards them. Alex judged the distance, made his estimation as to whether he'd make it unscathed or not and then bolted, taking his chances._

_Bullets ripped through the air, but all missed Alex as he sprinted for the helicopter. Men were waiting to pull him aboard, and one of the soldiers fired off several rounds to ward off any more attackers. A hand shot out to steady Alex as the helicopter wasted no more time in hanging around with the spy relatively on board and pulled up._

"_Thanks," Alex shouted about the cacophony of the blades. He was helped into the cockpit and the door was slid shut. The sound was quieter, but the overhead thump of the whirring engine was far too loud to still talk. A headset was offered to him, and Alex accepted them, wiping his hair out of the way so he could put them on. He examined the men around him who had come to his rescue, "K-Unit!"_

_The three of them were there, all sat neatly in a row on the other side of the cockpit. First there was Snake, his nose slightly crooked from where it possibly could have been broken. Next there was Eagle, who, hyperactive as ever, was pointing at Alex accusingly with an outstretched finger. His mop of black hair curled down from underneath his helmet and Alex wondered whether he could actually see at all._

_But it was Wolf who left the biggest impression on him. They'd met twice before, both times not exactly ending well, the last of which with him being left shot as Alex had gone to stop a madman. The teen couldn't understand what it was. Whether it was his eyes, his muscles or his general dominant presence he didn't know but he found Wolf… attractive? He swiped those thoughts away. It was just part of the stupid mission, what had happened didn't mean anything! He wasn't supposed to be having these feelings for… for men like him. He had had a girlfriend for fuck sake! But Wolf had that slightly dark skin that gave him the roguish appearance, and held himself with such power. His eyes were luring, the stubble adding to the man's good looks. The assault uniform was a bit too well fitting, so much so that Alex could make out in his crotch the rather large bulge of…_

'_Stop it' Alex screamed in his head at himself. 'Just stop it!'_

"_Cub?" Eagle choked, "You're the MI6 operative?"_

"_Don't ask questions I won't be able to answer," Alex responded cryptically, shaking his head clear of his issues, "Where's the guy to debrief me?" _

"_He's in the cockpit, he'll be out in a second," Wolf supplied, "I thought Point Blanc was a one off… You're still with them after all this time?" Alex was about to answer, but a voice cut out over his,_

"_He was supposed to have stopped years ago." It was Ben, who looked like he was more than just pissed, "Whatever happened to 'no more spy work' _Agent Rider_?" What happened to staying in America?"_

"_Times change," Alex retorted, before adding grimly, "Things just didn't work out. There's no need for details." Ben sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in reluctant acceptance. "You guys didn't know it was me you were supposed to extract?"_

"_We were told it was just an MI6 operative in the field. Also, that we were to exercise extreme caution around him…" It was Snake this time, "Are you hurt in anyway?" Alex shook his head,_

"_Just exhausted… Can you fly to these co-ordinates?" Alex showed them the slip of paper from his pocket. Sure enough there were six digits and some random jumble of code. Ben nodded curtly, _

"_It'll take about half an hour. We got a full tank of fuel so shouldn't be a problem." Alex acknowledged this with another nod, and sank into a solemn silence. It had become a habit of his after every mission, to contemplate what next to do with himself. Being a civilian was hard now that he lead a more permanent double life; he had excuses to make to neighbours, letters to sort through and yet more food to restock. On top of all that he had his A Levels to slog through with a few helpful pushes from MI6 through a new agreement in regards to his education – that being he went on missions as and when it was necessary, and in return they'd beef up his tuition and pay for anything he needed. Sometimes, he wondered, if trying to be normal was never going to be possible. He'd managed so far by pure luck alone. Could that luck hold out?_

"_Cub?" Wolf waved a hand in front of the teen's face, "You in there? You look a bit zoned out… depressed, I might add."_

"_Is that really any of your business?" Alex snapped irritably flinching away from the soldier. Wolf held up his hands reproachfully in surrender,_

"_Okay, okay; Jesus, don't bite my head off. I mean, why ever it would it be any concern of mine considering I'm the unit leader and you're part of my unit. How stupid of me to show a tad of care..." He grumbled, shuffling back into the uncomfortable seats in the cockpit. He was right, Alex had snipped back without provocation, but things were on his mind, and there were other things at hand he had to do first._

"_Wait… I'm not still part of your unit, am I?" Alex asked, looking for clarification. The three remaining members stared at him with bemusement,_

"_Duh… Why else do you think we're traipsing all the way out from Afghanistan?" Eagle drawled, polishing his rifle with a dirty rag. Wolf picked up where Eagle missed off,_

"_On any official report you're always put down as 'failed to turn up' or 'occupied'. We never really heard anything from other than those chance encounters. Did you really get appendicitis?" Alex looked to Ben to see if he was allowed to disclose secrets. All he got in return was a stern shake of the head. He rattled off the same word he'd told many of his colleagues and a few select friends,_

"_Classified." Wolf snorted,_

"_Oh yeah sure… We go risking our asses for some stuck up kid who's getting in way over his head and this s how he repays us?"_

"_Wolf, we've been over this…" Snake cut in, trying to calm the irate unit leader._

"_I don't fucking care! You'd think after all this time and the shit we've been through a, what, nineteen, twenty year old kid can't tell us anything at all? That's fucking gratitude right there…" He trailed off into low mumblings and soft curses as Ben glared at the man,_

"_Now your place Wolf, some things are kept secret for the protection of the public."_

"_Protection of the public my ass…"_

_And so the tense thrum resumed, and the only small talk now made was within the unit. Alex kept himself apart from them. He wasn't a member despite what any records said. That much had been made clear. They may be even with one another, but he still knew the loathing behind them all – especially Wolf, who was probably bitter about someone far younger than himself, younger than what he had guessed, to be of higher ranking than him._

_Alex gazed out the window at the choppy seas below them. They were covering distance fast. He best keep himself awake if that were the case. He didn't want his image to be ruined any more by pesky questions or prying eyes._

* * *

_France: Calais  
04:32 GMT_

_The helicopter pulled over the docks. It swung low in an arc as it hovered down for the drop off. Alex was the first out, rolling the door across and jumping down. He didn't waste any time standing around, and sprinted off for cover. True they were away from the danger, but he suspected that the White Rock wouldn't just let a giant trafficking operation to be taken down as easily as this. _

_K-Unit followed closely, armed to the teeth and obviously taking no chances much like he was. Ben joined them, an unusual act consider he was technically no longer part of the unit. The helicopter lifted up and flew off, leaving them to traverse through the rows upon rows of shipping containers. Numerous, dull colours passed by, ranging from crimsons to dark blues, from mustard yellow to a sickly shade of green. Logos emblazoned their sides, the metal having been subjected to the cruel briny waters and having long since rusted. Alex followed the code, deciphering it in his head as he went along. He counted the containers they passed, looked for tell-tale markings that would give the game away. This was the last piece of the puzzle, the final proof. This would bury White Rock in such deep shit they may as well plead guilty. _

_Then there it was, as though it were as plain as day. It sat there as innocently as ever, trapped between two white shipping containers. It was blood red and normal in appearance. Nothing gave it away. But Alex had the code. He knew which one it was._

"_What are we looking for?" Snake hissed under his breath, "I don't think we're alone…"_

_Alex ignored Snake's warning, and he dashed forwards. A whole two months of investigation would bring down an entire organisation that had taken American agents three years to try and crack. It would all come to down to this last bit of evidence. Alex unlatched the bolt sealing the door shut. He pried it open cautiously, worried that he may be wrong, doubting his abilities for a rare once. _

_A slat of light streamed in through the crack between in the threshold. Alex peered inside, his figure silhouetted against the slow rise of dawn. The rush of the sea very nearly made it impossible to hear the groans, whimpers and coughs coming from inside the container. Alex threw the door open wide in triumph, allowing the light to flood in on the poor, unsuspecting victims. They veered away from the sudden brightness, shielding themselves with their forearms as suddenly the sense of miserable hopelessness was lifted off of them. Alex was grinning broadly,_

"_It's okay now. You're safe." He helped a young woman to her feet. She wore the tattered remains of a stewardess outfit for British Airways. She smiled shyly as she accepted Alex's hand. Most of the other people were just unfortunate villagers from around Africa, others were tourists who had perhaps been lured by snatchers. _

"_Cub… we need to get moving," Wolf commanded. But his voice was uneasy. Something was troubling him. Then Alex saw the frightened glaze in the woman's eyes, and he whirled around to see what was bothering everyone._

_High up, standing on the containers, were several men armed and sneering down at them. They outnumbered the unit, and had them surrounded in the docks. Alex gently pushed the innocent civilians back into the canister and shut the door so that they wouldn't be harmed should worst come to worst. Alex glanced about them, taking in the numbers and odds of survival. They were in the open, outnumbered and surrounded; not exactly the best conditions for a fire-fight. _

_Alex's eyes fell upon a particular man, dressed in a blue shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and a white blazer and trousers. He had Alex's wooden beads around his neck._

"_So that's where they went…" the spy muttered under his breath. _

"_Hello Alex!" the man said cheerily, waving down at the men, "I missed you this morning!"_

"_What's he on about? How does he know you?" Wolf whispered keeping his sights trained on the men around them._

"_Classified," Alex hissed back. He directed his attention at the man, "Sorry Harold; I had an early shift." Although the words were casual, Alex ground them out with as much venom as he could muster. It only served to make the man's beaming smile go wider,_

"_What's the matter babe? You're not going to go all coy on me now, are you? I don't see why; I've seen every inch of that skin…" If Alex looked hard enough, he swore he could see tiny little horns poking through Harold's oily slicked-back hair and yellowed fangs where his teeth should have been._

"_Cub… what the fuck's going on?" Wolf demanded again, this time not bothering to lower his voice._

"_He calls you 'Cub' – is that your pet name or something? Is he your lover too?" Harold jeered gleefully, "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I've done some dirty rotten things to that body of Alex's… Some things that might shock you." He laughed, loud and obnoxious as Alex fought back both the urge to blush and to snatch Wolf's rifle off of him and put a bullet in Harold's groin._

"_What things?" Snake suddenly interjected; picking up on the fact that Alex may have been mutilated or injured in some way by the man stood before them._

"_Cub, I never knew you swung that way," Eagle quipped cheekily. It completely ruined the moment of seriousness, and even Wolf smirked at the joke._

"_I don't!" Alex blurted, "It was just for the mission."_

"_Oh sure!" Harold wooed, "That's not what I recall when you were begging for my cock up your arse!"_

_The men surrounding them all cheered and bellowed with chortles. The anger boiling within Alex was enough to overcome his attachment to Harold. He swiped Wolf's pistol from his thigh and aimed it precisely at Harold and let off several shots before anyone could do anything about it. It was a stupid and reckless move, but it did its job and severely wounded the git that twisted Alex's lust and conscious just so._

"_Shit!" Ben exclaimed as carnage ensued, "Every get to cover!"_

_Alex stumbled, the adrenaline leaving his body and his mind draining as he realised he had just shot the man he had deluded himself into loving. He wasn't gay… It was all false! It was just for the mission…_

"_CUB!"_

_Some of the mercenaries were firing at him, but Alex was staggering about like a drunkard. He was a sitting duck as the men aimed for him and fired._

_But it was at that moment when a body blotted out his vision and defended him from the onslaught. The weight of the emotions and sheer exhaustion from the entire week came back to kick Alex hard in the teeth as he blacked out cold. Whoever had protected him covered his body with theirs, and kept him safe until he lost himself to unconsciousness._

* * *

That had been the start of it. Or rather its continuation of what had started three years prior if Alex were to be truthful. The last he remembered of that mission was waking up in a hospital to another agent to debrief him. A message had been left by K-Unit telling him to get back on his feet as soon as but other than that he heard nothing more from them for a while. From that point on he resumed his once normal life and sorted everything out again.

"Hey, would you hurry it up already? I'm getting bored." A voice called from down the hall of the cottage. The twenty-two year old smiled; at least there were some good things that had come from his monstrosity of a past.

"I'll be there in a minute," he shouted back, his mind savouring the thoughts of what could be waiting for him. Today was their anniversary of their first date – him and his partner – and Alex knew that this night wouldn't go unmissed. In fact, with his partner, most nights never went unmissed. There would always be something waiting for him in the bedroom.

It had been only just a month or so after recovering in hospital…

* * *

_8/6/13  
England: London  
00:02 GMT_

_Alex sat in the corner of the bar nursing his drink. It was still his first pint. He didn't drink much when he was thinking. In admittance, he shouldn't have been drinking at all; he was underage, after all. But he considered it a privilege to be able to drink when taking into account that he _had_ saved the world so many times over and was probably more mature than your regular adult teen. He took another sip of the beer – besides, it only drank the stuff to forget most of his problems just like the next guy so what difference did it make? He could legally do it in a year so what's the point of waiting?_

_The club's music pounded in his ears, the lights flashing on the dance floor of the young men and women. Some were far older, but they watched from a distance like predators, waiting for the perfect moment to strike out at their prey. The younger, more naïve of the occupants either sat and drank with their friends or mingled in the throbbing crowd. Random techno music was pumping loud, almost unintelligible as heavy vibrations that beat through the building. Nobody seemed to mind though, the whole atmosphere and general thump gave them reason to dance and be happy. Maybe some might even get lucky with one another. Alex turned away, once more depressed. At least _they_ could have a moment of happiness. All he had was a shitload of issues to deal with and a heap of confusion._

"_CUB?" Someone yelled from behind him, trying to make themselves heard over the music. Alex glanced back over his shoulder, searching for the person who had called out his code name. Either he wasn't mistaken in recognising the voice or it was someone's pet name for their partner. He shuddered, suddenly remembering Harold Jenkins, the smuggler who had made him have conflictions about his identity. _

"_Cub?" The voice was nearer now. Alex looked again, and son caught sight of all people Wolf picking his way through the mass of people over to him. The guy had the slightest limp that looked reasonably well healed. Alex cringed at the thought of it; it had been Wolf who had protected him from those bullets. He owed the man his life._

"_Wolf… odd running into you here," he said suspiciously as Wolf finally got within audible range. _

"_I could ask you the same thing," Wolf scoffed, "You know since you said you didn't 'swing that way'."_

"_What?" Alex asked, thoroughly bemused. His mind had been so foggy with deep thought that he lost the context of the conversation already at the first hurdle. _

"_You know, considering this _is_ a gay bar. I thought you said you weren't gay."_

"_I'm not!" Alex almost nearly bellowed again, a blush coming to his face as his mind thought otherwise. "I just came here to think. It was the only place where I wouldn't get bothered, but not anymore it would seem."_

"_Sure you did…" Wolf grinned rather… well, wolfishly. He suddenly reminded Alex of one of those predators sitting about the outskirts of the room, watching their younger counterparts. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure,_

"_But more importantly, what are _you_ doing here?" Alex retorted, gaining a level footing in the conversation. But Wolf was quick to excuse his appearance, _

"_I saw you come in, just got curious since you said you weren't, you know, gay."_

"_For fuck sake; I'm not gay!" Alex growled for a second time. Wolf chuckled again, but this time it was more of a mutual amusement. Alex smirked as well, and they settled into a comfortable silence. They both stared at the dancing, Alex still pondering what he was to do with himself. Now that Wolf was here he might have to talk to the man. They were supposed to be equals, but not friends. "Can I get you a drink?" Alex asked to break the silence between them. Wolf looked at him funnily,_

"_You're not chatting me up, are you Cub?"_

"_No. I owe you for saving my life; it seems you keep taking bullets for me. Besides, if we want to keep everyone away from us we may as well look like we're together." It was a sure enough ploy, and Wolf accepted it,_

"_I'll have whatever you're having." Alex gestured to the bartender and then to his glass, silently asking for a second one. The man serving the bar came over and poured Wolf a fresh pint, giving an all-knowing look at Alex. The teen just huffed, shaking his head in disbelief. Wolf suddenly piped up though once the bartender had left, "Wait, aren't you underage?" It was now Alex's turn to scoff,_

"_I've saved the world more times than you can count on both hands yet I'm not allowed a drink every now and then?"_

"_I suppose not…" Wolf mumbled reluctantly, "But I hope it's not going to be a habit of yours."_

"_Why does it matter to you what I do?" Alex snapped, "I can do what I like."_

"_No you can't Cub. I've seen one too many men begin drinking saying they won't get addicted, and then obviously they do." He leaned in close to Alex so that he could whisper, "I know you've been through serious shit, alright? But it's still no excuse to pick up a pint and drown your sorrows. I care because whether we like it or not you're still part of the unit, and that makes you my responsibility. And I don't want you drinking."_

"_How dare you," Alex hissed, "Who are you to suddenly jump into my life and start ordering me about?" Wolf was straight back in his face, growling himself,_

"_Since you first turn up at Brecon Beacons, you dumb cunt. Now listen here; I first thought you were just some obnoxious brat, but then you proved yourself. At Point Blanc you showed me what you did and why you were doing it, so I respect you. So while you're still under my command and I'm not having you ruin your life and honour by drinking!" _

_Alex sat back, mouth a gape. He flustered about, searching for a retort,_

"_Yeah, well, I'm probably never going to see you again anyway, so why bother telling me this now?" He pressed home his victory, "I could start drinking the instant you leave this bar!"_

"_Actually, you're wrong. We are going to see each other again." Wolf chuckled at Alex's frown, "You didn't get the memo? Our unit is officially going to be attached to you as an agent for back up and assault necessities under the new protocols."_

"_Ha, nice try, but that kind of move needs to be seconded by another agent outside of the coalition," Alex sat, sipping his beer in the hollow win over Wolf. But yet again the man had a trick up his sleeve, _

"_It was; by Fox." _

_Alex spluttered, furious that people had gone behind his back. He had trusted Ben, that bastard!_

"_What the fuck! What are you playing at?" He said coldly, "Keep out of my life. I don't need anyone to hold my hand."_

"_We're not holding your fucking hand, Cub," Wolf shot back, "We're there under orders. Who would you have rather had backing your worthless ass; us, or some random other squad who you barely know? 'Cause it would have happened anyway regardless of us intervening. Do you think you could have trusted men you hardly knew to cover you when you needed it most?" That did make sense. He supposed he rather owed it to them yet again for backing him up. Alex couldn't trust many people. That had been shattered years ago when he was just a kid. No… Wolf was right. He would rather it be them than someone else. At least he could rely upon them somewhat for definite._

"_You're right," Alex admitted reluctantly, before adding humbly, "I'm sorry." Lo and behold, the depression once more returned. He most certainly wasn't thinking straight tonight. Perhaps he should go home, sleep some and then how he felt. It was better than sitting here, wallowing in a corner and being shown up by Wolf of all people. "I'm calling it a night. I'll see you around." _

_Alex got up from his bar stool, downing the remaining dregs of his flat pint. The, he supposed, he did have one trick of his own that might cheer him up just enough for tonight. He leaned close to Wolf's ear,_

"_You know how you said you followed me in here?" he asked, verifying what Wolf had said. The man nodded. "Well, I've been in here for two hours. Now either you're stalking me or you came in here of your own accord and coincidentally saw me here. Personally, I'm having a hard time telling which is worse." With that, he left, making the long route around the outside to the exit. He didn't want to have to barge his way through the dancing people, so he just chanced it. Fortunately, he was only groped once or twice on the ass. He just swatted them away like flies and paid them no more attention. He was out of the club within practically ten seconds flat since he was that desperate to put distance between him and Wolf. _

_Wolf watched as left, speechless that he had been caught out. He had only looked like he had literally just got that drink, and he was nowhere near drunk. He looked at his, practically untouched glass. He looked back at the door again. With his last few moments at the bar he greedily gulped down the refreshing beverage before chasing out after Alex. _

_He burst out the door, Alex being only a few yards down the road._

"_Wait!" he shouted. Alex turned around at the sound, noticing who it was before sighing in exasperation and increasing his pace. Wolf jogged up after him, "Wait; just listen to me. We need to talk."_

"_What? Why would we need to talk? There's nothing to _talk_ about!" Alex huffed, pissed he was once more being pestered. _

"_Seriously," Wolf put on that face that actually made Alex consider him for a moment. His voice was low, gravelly but still dominant, "We need to talk like men and not school boys holding a grudge. There's something we need to discuss." Alex sighed again, his breath a trailed whisper in the cold air. The temperature had sunk incredibly from the nice warm day. He really didn't want to end up stuck outside talking with Wolf about whatever was chewing at him now. He made up his mind. Alex turned to Wolf and asked in a defeated tone,_

"_My place or yours?"_

* * *

_00:13 GMT_

_Alex unlocked the door to his home and stood aside to let Wolf in politely. Really, he didn't want the man anywhere near his house, let alone inside, but his place had been closer, and Wolf had sounded pretty stressed when he'd asked to talk. With Alex being the better man he decided he'd give him the one last chance to redeem himself before he finally shut off his personal life for good from the man._

"_Nice place," He commented as he wiped his feet on the welcome mat. At least he had etiquette, Alex supposed. _

"_Thanks, it was my uncle's place before I inherited it," He replied casually. It had been years since Ian's death. He was over it. Yet still most people who hadn't yet heard still apologised for some reason. _

"_I suppose you wouldn't want any sympathy of me?" Wolf asked, taking off his jacket. He handed it to Alex when the teen offered to take it for him. It seemed he and Wolf shared the same reasoning about dead loved ones. _

"_No, I wouldn't. He's been dead for a while." _

"_Are your parents in? I don't want to disturb anything but it's rather important," Wolf inquired finally, the taboo question that Alex had hoped to avoid. It was inevitable that they would have got round to it at some point, but he had wanted for a little extra time to prepare an response._

"_They died when I was a baby," he answered bluntly. He watched Wolf's reaction, the grim realisation that he had got it wrong and bullied him about it for an excruciating week when all this time they had been dead. It had been like poison to his heart whenever the soldier passed a cutting remark about his no-good rich father. _

"_Now for that I _am_ sorry," Wolf said, attempting to patch the rift between them, "I didn't realise."_

"_No, you didn't. What do you want Wolf?" Alex sighed irritably, both very aware of the time and that he wanted this man gone as soon as. He motioned for Wolf to go into the living room, and followed through after him. It was blandly decorated; Alex rarely ever spent much time at home. He had his education, his work and everything else to worry about. How his home looked was irrelevant. _

"_So you live alone?" Wolf asked, trying to fill the short silence between them. Alex nodded as he took a seat opposite in the threadbare armchair whilst Wolf settled on an aged sofa. "You can tell…" Wolf muttered as he looked about him at the sparse décor. He would have said that it was just a minimalist style, but the whole place had this feeling like it had been neglected for a long time and was slowly deteriorating from the inside. _

"_Spit it out, what do you want to say?" Alex questioned, making it feel more like an interrogation than a conversation. Wolf examined him curiously,_

"_I'm not going to question why, at your age, you're working for MI6. I've read the reports, so I know how old you really are. Nor am I going to ask what you're exactly doing with yourself in your spare time when not on missions; all that information is private to you. What I am going to ask though is that what happened between you and that Harold bloke? What did he do to you?" _

"_Why would I tell you that?" Alex spat, "Why are you trying to care so much? Did Jones put you up to this?"_

"_The sooner you answer my questions, the sooner I leave you alone," Wolf explained plainly, "You can either answer them as quickly and as simply as you like so long as they are answered. Or you can just stall and avoid the topic and we'll be here all night." Alex growled in annoyance. That much was true. He was being offered the quick way out. He may as well take it._

"_Have you signed the Official Secrets Act? Am I allowed to talk to you about stuff?" The question was valid, so Wolf nodded just for ease. He'd at least got his foot in the door, now he just had to lever his way into Alex's comfort zone and find out what was _really_ bugging him. "His real name was Derrick Wallaby, and he was the initial entry point for the mission. The CIA had been trying to infiltrate and shut down White Rock for a while now unsuccessfully for a few years. MI6 had been told to keep an eye out for him; we were working closely together due to the recent peace protests going on around the world."_

"_Go on…" Wolf persuaded, wanting to get more information._

"_Well, one of our researchers was at home one night on a British dating website and suddenly there he was under the alias of Harold Jenkins. The catch came when MI6 learnt that Harold was on British territory, staying in Manchester for a while, and so the CIA had no jurisdiction on British soil. The executives of MI6 and the CIA met to discuss a plan of action, and settled that it would be the best option to send someone in in response to the dating profile. Now the CIA wanted to send one of their own considering it had been their investigation in the first place, but the climate of the political world and such prohibited it. It would have caused too much of an uproar. So MI6 offered to send one of their agents who had worked closely with the CIA before as a replacement," Alex took a deep breath, "The only problem was that Harold Jenkins was a homosexual, and had a specific partner in mind according to the website. It strictly limited to possible candidates for the mission. They had to be young, submissive and willing to, and I quote, 'some seriously dirty and kinky shit'."_

"_Let me guess," Wolf suggested, "You were picked out straight off?"_

"_Actually no," Alex chuckled, scratching his own slight stubble on his chin. He needed to shave – another thing to add to the list, "I was second in line; another guy was chosen first instead of me primarily because he was older, around twenty I think. Unfortunately it was deemed unfair to send him as his social commitments at the time would have been interfered with by the mission. I think he was going to propose to his girlfriend or something? Either way, MI6 had to look for the next person. Strangely enough they were reluctant to use me for once," Alex snorted a half-hearted laugh at the irony, "Simply because of my age. I fit the bill, I was young, I had worked with the CIA before on several occasions and I was one of their best agents available. It was eventually allowed for me to be brought onto the mission. All I had to do was get close to 'Harold' and gather evidence against White Rock." Wolf raised an eyebrow, _

"_Is that it? I asked what he did to you not who he was." Alex growled, annoyed at having been interrupted,_

"_I'm getting to that!" he barked, "Now some clever psychology technicians responded to the dating website and created the perfect profile for me that would suit him. A date was arranged and I went along to earn his trust and gain intelligence. However, promptly after the date I was kidnapped and taken to some cell. It was test he'd set up to find out if I was a spy or something, but I stuck to the cover story and within a day or so he let me go, apologising for the harsh behaviour." He thought for a moment, looking out the window as the glow from the street lights breathed in through the slits in the blinds, "After that we grew closer. He took me on dates, showed me his luxury apartment. In order to further gain his trust I was permitted to sleep with him if I thought it benefitted the mission. It was practically mandatory; Harold was, and this is the only way I describe, a sex fiend. He could think about nothing but sex. I had to do it for the good of the mission, so I played along. It was almost weirdly romantic how he kept buying me shit for the bedroom. He made me go out and have things done to me."_

"_What things? The report only said something about body augmentations," Wolf asked, curious as to what he meant._

"_Piercings. And the odd tattoo. I didn't mind them, actually. I was kind of looking into it anyway outside of work," Alex admitted, "At least that way it was free." He smiled sheepishly, "I thought I could deal with this, that if this is what he was normally like then the mission wouldn't be that big of a deal. I just considered a loose experiment with my body and later in life would think nothing more about it. I would just keep on firm grip on whom that I am and enjoy the ride." Wolf picked up on the uncertainty, _

"_But something happened, didn't it?"_

"_Something awry with the mission," Alex said, "He suddenly came out with this excuse that he had to go to Libya for some holiday or something and that he wished I could go with him but couldn't."_

"_How's that bad?" Wolf asked, leaning back in the creaking sofa. It was on its way out. "We found you in Libya."_

"_If you'd let me finish…" Alex sighed, "The CIA had previously found a paper trail that led them to Libya regarding White Rock but it grew cold. Now that Harold had mentioned it, it now incriminated him enough to start a global investigation. It was then deemed an acceptable risk to send an agent to investigate. The CIA wanted to now send one of their own, and MI6 wanted to have someone replace me, but unfortunately my position with Harold meant that I was too close to just suddenly abandon my post. Out of the blue, he offered me the chance to go with him to Libya to stay at his villa whilst he attended to his 'work'. I couldn't refuse, so MI6 ran a psychological assessment of me and we both agreed that up to now the circumstances had been bearable, and so I was shipped off with Harold to Libya." Alex sucked in a ragged breath, "That's when things went from bad to worse." He suddenly clammed up, more interested in what mysteries the fabric of the armchair held rather than illuminating more on the subject of his and Harold's sex life. _

"_Cub… you need to tell me what happened…" Wolf urged, gesticulating with his hands for Alex to continue. The teen was reluctant, but he started talking again slowly,_

"_It wasn't like it had been in England. Back there, the sex had been… _normal_? You know, just regular shagging and so on, but in Libya he suddenly turned bizarre. In the morning he would leave for the forests to talk to the mercenaries and then would come back mid-afternoon. He and I would eat a combination of dinner and lunch before he ordered me into the bedroom. We'd then have sex for hours – well into the next day. He'd stop around four o'clock or so and allow me some sleep. I think he expected me to sleep most of the day until he came back, but because I had to investigate, I was forced to neglect sleeping and rummage around in his office. This carried on for about a month, and despite me not being entirely comfortable with what he was doing to me I just panted and moaned like I was supposed to, otherwise I ran the risk of endangering the whole operation…" There was still something more that Alex wasn't telling him, but wolf kept quiet, allowing the teen to take his time. "After a while I'd gathered enough information to take him down. I'd found in his office a coded slip of paper that would find the most recent container of slaves to be sold on the black market. I think he knew too but didn't have any actual proof it was me. That night, when he found out that I was a spy, he had sex with me for the last time before leaving me tied up, gagged and spread-eagle on the bed naked, abused and humiliated before he left for France. I escaped, took the last few photographs of what he did and then fled. From that point on you know the rest."_

_Wolf, without a single word, got up and went back out into the hall. Alex briefly thought that he might be going to leave now that he was satisfied with his answers, but he heard the fumbling of coats outside. Wolf came back into the room with a brown envelope in his hand. The teen peered with a hesitant gaze as Wolf ripped open the sealed envelope and took out what appeared to be photos. They had been developed, and the negative was held in Wolf's other hand. The soldier tossed them onto the rickety coffee table between them, allowing them to spill out away from each other and reveal whatever secrets they held._

_Alex was in every single one. At least, a part of Alex was in every single one._

"_What the fuck?" Alex demanded as he snatched the photos up angrily. He flicked through them all quickly, blushing with grim embarrassment as the context of them became more and more exposing, and all the more dirty. That slime ball Harold must have taken them on the last night!_

"_They were found on your camera film. Jones was _very_ surprised when she saw them. She was about to put you on immediate therapy to see if any mental damage had been done." Alex glared at him,_

"'_She was about to'? What made her stop?"_

"_Me," Wolf said, just as blunt as Alex had been. The teen gawked at Wolf,_

"_You? Why?" _

"_Because," Wolf explained as though it were plainly simple, "A shrink wouldn't change a thing, that is, if you're anything like me. If anything, you need someone who's been where you are now and dealt with it themselves." Alex stared at him dark eyes,_

"_What are you on about?" He said slowly and carefully, as though he were watching his words to make sure it didn't implicate anything. _

"_Oh don't play dumb Cub; you must have guessed by now what I'm implying."_

"_You're gay?" Alex ventured, perched on the edge of his seat. That would explain why Wolf was in a gay club, and why he seemed so keen on helping Alex._

"_Finally, he gets it!" Wolf mock-cheered, throwing his hands up limply in an abysmal attempt at celebration. _

"_Hold on, for how long? Since when?" Alex now demanded, taking his turn at asking the questions and completely forgetting that he didn't want Wolf here at all. Wolf sighed, sitting back to explain,_

"_Now you better not interrupt me," he said, pointing a finger at Alex in warning. He settled down for his story, "My first kiss with another boy was when I was fifteen. I was hanging around with the wrong crowd, and one night a group of us went drinking in the meadows. Naturally we were pissed beyond belief, so nobody was in their right mind. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was locking lips with some other younger lad who'd tagged along that night. I barely remember any of it, but my 'friends' made sure I learnt about it. Now I was confused as to why I had done that willingly, but I just put it down to alcohol and continued with my everyday straight life. I dated, broke up, dated again and so forth whilst believing I was in love with someone. It was only when I was eighteen that I soon found out otherwise. My girlfriend at the time, Stacy, and I were strolling through town, hitting the clubs and the like. Across the road from where we were was a gay club recently opened up, and Stacy begged me to go inside with her to see what it was like. She had this excuse that she wanted to see if she could recommend it to this gay friend of hers. Sometime later and with the promise of certain… _favours_, I eventually agreed and went in._

"_Back then, however, attitudes were far different to homosexuality than they are today. There was still this common animosity towards gays, and so I was a tad more than pissed when I was forced to sit at the bar with Stacy and watch everyone groping and grinding against each other. You see, my parents were devout Catholics, and so opposed homosexuality outright. I abandoned the faith soon after becoming a teenager, but my parents still managed to impose some of their beliefs upon me, such as that abortions are wrong, and obviously being gay is against nature and evil. So I was sitting at the bar, waiting for Stacy to have finished her fun and be ready to leave. As fate would have it, my bladder decided at that moment it needed to be emptied, and so I excused myself and went to relieve myself. When I got back, Stacy had gone. I search for her, and thought I saw her in the crowd, so I went after her. As soon as I stepped onto the dance floor I was touched my several hundred pairs of hands, had my assed groped and my crotch felt. I couldn't do anything to stop them due to the large number of them swarming, but neither did I want them to stop strangely. That was when another boy, this kid who was barely legal, had been eyeing me up since I entered the club, and ran up to me and snogged me then and there. I should have pushed him away; I should have beaten the shit out of him for daring to do such a thing; I should have thrown a huge rage, accused them all of sodomy and rape. But I didn't." Wolf finished with a voice that Alex related with only a profound sense of clarity. There was more to the man than he had first realised._

"_After that?" Alex said, willing Wolf to speak again._

"_After that I never heard from my girlfriend again," He chuckled, "Apparently she had gone outside to look for me when I'd gone for a whiz."_

"_I meant after _that_," Alex said, sighing when Wolf just grinned wider,_

"_After _that_ I went into a month long argument with myself. For the first week I tried convincing myself that it had been an accident, and that I had been saving myself for Stacy and was just pent up with sexual frustration. That worked for a while until the next week came and I somehow managed to accept that I was gay, but just wasn't ready to come to terms with all the repercussions. However I didn't believe what I said then, so by the third week I was amending myself to be bisexual. By the fourth and final week I had come to the resolute conclusion that I was, in fact, gay." Wolf said, "From that point onwards I felt freer, more liberated than ever. I began meeting new guys, dating them, after a while of getting to know them personality-wise I got to know them more physically… if you know what I mean." He added in a wink, "For some reason, sex was far better with a guy for me than a girl. I came out to my parents after a while but they promptly disowned me. Not that I cared anyway; we never saw eye to eye in the first place."_

"_What about K-Unit? Did you end up telling them?"_

"_Eventually: I had to lie at first to get into the army, and I didn't date a soul for ages until I was safely in the SAS. After about a few months of earning their trust and bonding as a team I broke it to them. By that point we were trusting and loyal enough not to go back-stabbing, and whilst their initial response was cold they warmed up later in the year. Before I knew it, when we were alone in our hut discussing girlfriends and chicks in films they began to include me but instead making sure to ask about what kind of guys I liked or whether I had a boyfriend or not." Wolf looked at Alex with that same unwavering look, "Trust me, I know we were shit to you before, but just give us time and you'll be accepted. They won't judge you if you're gay." Alex didn't respond, and Wolf picked up on that, "What's the matter Cub? No quick denial or outrage?"_

"_What's there to deny?" Alex said matter-of-factly, "I'm gay… I may as well be."_

"_I don't follow…" Wolf said hesitantly, wondering if he'd gone wrong somewhere._

"_I wasn't in that bar just for the drinks or the solitude. It was an experiment," Alex explained, "I wanted to see if the feelings I had for Harold were real, that what had happened wasn't just my imagination."_

"_So then what was with denying it?" Wolf asked, his voice rising slightly; he didn't understand, not entirely yet._

"_Because in Libya it wasn't just him who was enjoying the sex," That made Wolf shut up. He clamped his mouth shut after realising he had it hanging open. Alex continued, in much quieter voice, "Whilst in Libya, the sex had been simply to keep the cover. But after a few days or so I began enjoying it… waiting impatiently for him to come back to the villa so it could begin all again. In the beginning he had initiated it all, he had ordered me and I had obeyed only to not reveal myself. But then when he ordered me about I did as he asked not because I had to but because I _wanted _to. I wanted to please him, to become his, to pleasure him. I grew sick with worry that all this had been in my head, that maybe I was acting delusional and not myself. I went to the bar to see if I'd be attracted to anyone, or whether anyone would pick me up."_

"_And did they?" Wolf said smiling, interested now more than ever, "Did anyone catch your eye?"_

"_There was one guy," said Alex as he returned Wolf's stare, "Tall, dark and handsome. Kinda hot. You may know him." _

_There was a drawn out silence between them as it dawned on Wolf what Alex really meant. He coughed, looking away whilst trying to formulate a reason to get out of there quickly without much fuss. _

"_Keep the photos," He said curtly, "I better get going. Should better let Jones know you won't need to see our shrink."_

"_We have a shrink?" Alex asked, standing up as Wolf did._

"_Every unit has one assigned to them; makes it easier when something happens to all of us at once, or with relations between members." Wolf bit his lip, "I'll leave you to it." He made his way back out into the hall, grabbing his jacket before pulling the latch on the door. Alex was too young. He was out of his mind for even considering… "See you around Cub." He waited for a moment, hanging on the door, only a slither open. Turning round, he made his final statement before he became the bad Wolf that Alex had known all those years ago, "You know I never hated you. I respected you, but I didn't want to see a kid like you get hurt. The SAS was no place for a fourteen year old."_

"_I know," Alex said quietly, "And whilst we never got off on the same foot, I still admired you for what you did. You were a dick, but you at least did something worthwhile with your life." Wolf nodded, allowing another silent moment to pass before turning to leave. Alex stopped him, suddenly grabbing his sleeve, "Wait!"_

_Wolf looked back over his shoulder,_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you want to… I don't know… stay for coffee?" The teen said, rather awkwardly considering the underlying meaning. But Wolf knew what Alex really wanted. He knew the protocol._

"_Cub," he said with his voice flat and unyielding, "Are you sure? We both know what asking me back in for coffee really means." Alex remained silent, "You're not thinking straight. Get some rest."_

"_Would you like some coffee?" Alex tried again, his voice firmer this time. Wolf sighed heavily, _

"_Cub, listen to me. You don't want this. I'm just coercing you. Get to bed and sleep it over. Tomorrow morning you'll wonder why the fuck you ever offered."_

"_Do you want coffee?" Alex said for a third time, even more confident. They shared a contest of stares, neither of them backing down. Eventually, Wolf gave in,_

"_If you want this… if you _really_ want this, then just say. Not behind some empty gesture, but well and truly just ask for it and I will." _

"_Do you want to sleep with me?" Alex asked without skipping a beat. Wolf's silence that followed was unnerving._

_Without another word, he closed the door gently. He turned to face Alex, taking one side of his face in a strong yet soft hand. The fingers stroked through the teen's locks, brushing aside the blonde curls from out of his eyes._

_Slowly, Wolf leant in and gingerly kissed Alex on the lips, tentative at first until Alex began to kiss back. Their tongues danced, and as the time passed their passion increased._

_That night was undoubtedly the best night of Alex's life._

* * *

Alex smiled fondly at the memories. Aged only seventeen, he had finally come to terms with a hidden part of himself even he barely knew about. The next morning had been perfect; he made Wolf breakfast, they had talked about anything at all after a long and incredibly eventful night whilst still buck naked and bearing the scars from their lovemaking.

Wolf had left without much of a goodbye. Before he had left the soldier had made sure that Alex understood that what had happened was a one off thing; a one night stand. Wolf had his career, and he didn't want the teen to try and pursue him for a relationship.

What was the phase he used? _We were just letting off steam._

After he had left Alex had instantly phoned Sabina to chat about it and confess everything so he could talk to someone, his ex-girlfriend now being his sort of adopted sister. It had been ages ago that he had split from the family and returned to England – the normality being too much for Alex to adapt to – but he still kept in touch.

She had been wary at first, listening rather mutedly over the phone as Alex hastily explained himself. After a while she soon grew to love the idea that Alex had finally 'come out' as it were, despite him never having considered himself 'in the closet' beforehand.

Now, with armed with a new lease on life, Alex thought about his life more deeply. Despite being still so young, he was thinking of things way beyond his maturity. Who did he want to be in his life? Who would he settle down with? Would there be room for children? Who would he leave behind his stuff to when he died? Normally, he wouldn't have considered any of this, but had opened his eyes to the humanity Alex had been ignoring for so long. They were all just like one another, and Alex needed to be realistic; the chances of him getting killed were high. He almost usually got hurt anyway, so who would look after him once he was out of hospital? Could he even trust another person with his own welfare?

In the end, it all boiled down to one question.

Who did he want as a partner? To have and to hold and so forth… was there even a person who could fit that role?

Alex sighed, rubbing his eyes. He'd taken some time off after that last assignment, making friends outside of work, trying to find some kind of civilian life that could coexist with his work. It had been hard, but other than K Unit Alex had managed to acquire a few understanding friends. He'd searched for a boyfriend but none lived up to his expectations or needs. Some were too camp, others too clingy. All of them could handle Alex's work life. They claimed he was 'cheating on them' or was becoming 'too distant'. He wanted to tell them, but in every case he couldn't. He couldn't tell a soul.

He had spent almost several months agonisingly looking for some even remotely compatible with him. It took him a while, but eventually Alex came up with an answer. It was because of Wolf.

* * *

_16/9/13  
England: London  
13:24 GMT_

_Alex pulled his collar up tighter as he stood on the corner of the road. He gazed upwards, ignoring the glum, grey sky and forgetting the pouring rain and focused solely on one door – one flat, _his_ flat. He'd got the address off the MI6 personnel reports. He'd worked with them once so it would have to be on record. Getting it had actually been surprisingly easy._

_Then again, he was Britain's best agent. _

_His hair had already been soaked and hung in clumped curls across his forehead. Drips streamed down his nose as he steadied his breathing. He was bracing himself. The encounter he was about to have would more than likely not end well. Not only was he steeling himself emotionally but also physically; you could never know how Wolf would react. _

_Number thirty-two. That was the address. Just walk up and knock on the door…_

_The lights weren't on. Maybe he wasn't home. Maybe he should come back later…_

_No! He had to do this, once and for all. It may have been for just one night, but for that same night kept playing over and over in his head. It wouldn't stop, like it was on repeat, a never ending loop._

_He swallowed his fear and boldly took his determination and headed across the road without even looking. He crossed, walking straight through a puddle that splashed against his worn trainers. It didn't matter; he barely noticed the cold seeping through. Over the years he'd become desensitised to many things. Cold was just one of them._

_He came to the door, knuckles raised to knock and he paused. Wolf had said it was just a one off thing. He didn't need to have his career ruined by Alex's rampant emotions. The teen had suppressed far worse in his mind, why did love have to catch him out? Maybe it has just horniness? Maybe he hadn't been with someone in a long time? Yeah, that was probably it. He should just go out and find himself his own one night stand… That might do. In fact, that's what he was going to do. He will turn around right now and walk away._

_Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself as he rapped three times on the door and stood their patiently as someone shuffled about inside. _

_A chain caught the door as it opened only a crack. Wolf's face momentarily appeared in the slip as he looked out to see Alex there waiting. His eyes widened with surprise before he sighed, closing the door shut and the chain being slid back. The door opened up again, this time all the way, and Wolf stood there dressed in nothing but a wife beater and sweatpants. A frown now played across his face,_

"_Cub… What are you doing here?" Alex fiddled with his sleeve, shaking the water from it,_

"_Me? I was just in the area and was passing by… so I thought I'd say hello…" He paused, even he realising the uselessness of that excuse, "…Hello." _

"_Hello…" Wolf replied just as hesitantly, "How did you know where I live?"_

"_How do you think?" Alex said, a little frustrated that Wolf underestimated his ability despite know he was a spy, "The bank doesn't hire me for nothing."_

"_Oh, you're here about my account?" Wolf asked, making the assumption it was a mission Alex was here about and not his true intent. For now, it was something the spy could work on,_

"_Yeah, something like that… It's actually more of about updating the records we currently have on file for you. There are some things we'd like to go over about your personal information."_

"_And we're doing this right here, right now?" Wolf chuckled, "Do you want to come in Cub? You look like a drowned rat." Alex shook his head, refusing to pass the threshold. If he went in then he couldn't keep the scene to a minimum; out here on the street Wolf was less likely to react badly. _

"_No, no! That's okay. It'll only take a minute, and really it's only one thing."_

"_Such as?"_

"_Are you currently in a relationship?" Alex held his breath, waiting for the answer. Or the reaction. He so dearly hoped for the former, but then again he didn't quite know with Wolf. The soldier's expression slowly fell, becoming darker. His voice lowered,_

"_I told you, it was just for one night. No more, no less." He was about to close the door, "Now get lost Cub."_

"_Wait!" Alex urged, slamming his foot just as the door nearly shut, "Just hear me out!"_

"_I told you Cub, get the fuck out of here!" He snarled with a twinge of an apology in his voice. He was being cruel to be kind. _

"_Look, I've tried, alright? I've tried forgetting and moving on. I've searched for someone else, anyone else, to replace you. But no one understands me. No one knows what I do, what I'm capable of. Trust me, Wolf, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't so sure of this." Alex stifled a sob, "You were the first person to show me that I'm human after a long while. Please don't just turn your back on me and forget." A thought came to him, "Tell me that you aren't interested. Tell me that you haven't thought about me at least once since that night. Look me in the eyes and tell me that and I'll leave."_

_Wolf stared at him for long, drawn out seconds. He was coming up with a response, something to dismiss the challenge. But he couldn't. Alex had caught him out._

"_Of course I have… Who wouldn't? You're good looking, smart, strong, quick-witted… You're everything someone could want." He opened the door a bit wider, "You don't want me Alex. You're just deluding yourself. I'm too old, I'm broken and I'm not exactly the nicest person to be around."_

"_I don't care," Alex argued, "People marry at all sorts of ages, I'm probably more broken than you are and the same goes for me. I'm cold and malicious when I want to be."_

"_I kill people, Alex… That's my job. I defend the country by ending the lives of others…"_

"_Same here, but you don't have to hide that." Alex spat back bitterly, "I do. Nobody can ever know of what I do, which is why I need you. You know me, you know what I do for a living. I can tell anyone, so you're the closest person I've got to talk to…" Wolf sighed, hesitating once more. Alex turned to pleading, "Please… Just try… I'll pull strings with MI6; get them to let you keep your position in the SAS, anything. Just please let us try…"_

_A heavy silence fell between them. Only the pattering of the rain and the cars slowly driving by through the puddles made up for ambience. It was dull and grim; it fit the moment perfectly. Alex would have liked for better circumstances to remember the scene by, or at least something a little more comfortable – maybe in a coffee shop somewhere or out of the public view – but this had to do. This memory would have to stay as it is. The rain might've been considered romantic had it been a cheesy, over-the-top film. But this was real, and was far from the clichés played on out screen._

_Wolf eventually breathed a tired sig, scratching at the stubble on his jaw,_

"_I'm not exactly the loving type," he said carefully, "Don't expect cushy gifts or flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day, and I don't do holding-hands-in-public shit either."_

"_It doesn't matter," Alex agreed, "I feel exactly the same way."_

"_Then tomorrow night at eight? I'll pick you up."_

"_Sounds like a plan." Alex held the giant grin back, not wanting to scare Wolf off now._

"_Good; now piss off already." The door was slammed shut in Alex's face. Any ordinary person would have been annoyed at being given the cold shoulder like that, but Alex knew that for Wolf that had probably been the most emotional and most romantic he'd ever been before._

_Alex had to keep the light skip out of his step as he whistled away in the rain._

* * *

Alex took a glance at the clock showing the time in London on the wall. It was almost a few seconds to midnight. That didn't matter though. He and his partner had taken a fortnight's worth of leave so lie in tomorrow wouldn't do them any harm. It was Alex's second home – he'd bought it after realising he wanted somewhere away from the groggy city, somewhere to revitalise and unwind – and served more as a holiday home rather than anything.

Sometimes they had friends over, sometimes colleagues (although Alex tended to steer away from that; his 'colleagues' either tried to kill him or had secrets of their own). It all depended on circumstance. His partner's friends were often away on work. In fact, both of them, Alex and his partner, were often away for work. That's why they always tried to make time to coincide with each other.

Alex typed in the final few lines of his report, saving the document and emailing it off to Mrs Jones. She could deal with whatever bullshit now – he had more _entertaining_ matters to attend to than paperwork. He stood up, powered off his computer and slid the chair under the desk. A small light reflected off the picture frame on his desk, and relenting just a little more, he gave in and picked it up, admiring the two of them in the shot. A simple ceremony, nothing fancy – they weren't the sort to have glamour and loudness. A few friends and whatever family could come, not that there were many relatives still alive, especially on Alex's side.

It hadn't taken long to arrange for either. Luckily the timing of the proposal couldn't have been more perfect; it hallmarked the third anniversary of their first date, and fortunately everyone was in town, and right after they agreed to get hitched it had been only a week before they were declaring each other's love and commitments.

Three years after their first date, and two years before the present date, did the last yet biggest of all dominoes fall…

* * *

_17/9/15  
England: London  
10:04 GMT_

_Wolf, or rather Jeremy Thompson as it transpired, poured Alex another glass of wine. They'd just finished their first course, Wolf of course going for the rare steak and Alex having whatever suited his fancy. The nineteen year old would have been lying if he had said he wasn't impressed. It was the same restaurant Wolf had taken him to two years back, and certainly this time he'd made even more of an effort whilst changing nothing at all. He'd refused to get rid of the stubble Alex loved so much, kept his hair the same short length and dressed in a plain dinner suit whilst all the while seeming so much more… _mature_. _

_Alex had aged quickly during his period of dating Wolf, and the man had shaped him up to stop being the kid and looking more like he could take care of himself. Still being only a teen, Alex had the confidence, the looks and probably the wits of someone far older than what he really was. His hair was darker, his face more defined as well as his body. _

_However, in order for them to be dating, Alex had had to make sacrifices. He'd managed to persuade Mrs Jones to give Wolf immunity from dishonourable discharge, but eventually the unspoken 'don't ask, don't tell' rule was officially scrapped anyway. She'd been annoyed at first about the emotional involvement her best spy had developed, so Alex had taken on several more assignments than he normally would of and proved to her that he was still worth his salt. In the end she relented, allowing Alex to lead the social life he'd been deprived of for so long. _

_As for Wolf, he came to the inevitable agreement that he would inform K-Unit of their new status. It was arranged that Wolf would invite them over to meet his new lover, and then Alex would come out and surprise them. The ordeal hadn't gone _quite_ as expected, with numerous embarrassing questions, exclamations and obscenities being passed around, but they soon came to accept the fact the two were together. By now, Alex was a good friend with them, and the unit felt more like a whole than when it had back during his training at Brecon Beacons. _

_Alex had been shocked when he'd learnt that K-Unit had instigated themselves as Alex's official SAS unit when he was out on assignments. They'd have his back during tactical situations, and essentially became his extraction team and fighting force. But after a few missions with their help, he grew to have faith in their abilities. What had seemed like a way to hinder him and inhibit his work turned out to be an asset._

"_It's glad to see you're still in one piece," Wolf remarked casually as he topped up his own glass, "I thought for sure that this time the bank would have stretched to your limits."_

_Wolf and Alex had agreed that if they had to speak about his spying work in public then it would be through the cover of the bank. To the rest of the world, Alex was a boring overseas accountant who went on numerous business trips where he always seemed to befall disasters. He'd recently returned from stopping an assassination attempt in America, working in hand with the CIA. Alex had spent some time with Sabina and caught her up on a few things. He'd told her about his new found relationship with Wolf and she couldn't have been happier. She was engaged to some lawyer now, and Alex had briefly met the guy. He seemed like a brilliant replacement for Alex, so in a sense he gave Sabina his consent. Not that it would have mattered anyway, but Alex liked to still feel part of some sort of family._

"_They did, but it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle," Alex reached for his glass, raising it to clink with Wolf's, "Happy anniversary."_

"_Happy anniversary," Wolf mumbled back. The poor soldier still wasn't quite used to public displays of affection yet despite laws being passed for gay marriages already having been passed recently. Alex had missed the whole charade, he'd been stuck in America while events had unfolded and Wolf was back in Wales for intensive training for a while. The government had kept good on their promise and now Alex a little more at ease whilst going out with Wolf now. _

"_You never fail to astound me," Alex said, taking a sip of the sweet wine, "Each year you manage to do better." Wolf just slyly grinned,_

"_I can make it _so_ much better than this, believe me." His cryptic comment led Alex down the wrong path,_

"_Oh I'm _certain_ you could make it better…" He raised an eyebrow and smirked, not even bothering to keep the innuendo hidden. Wolf chuckled, realising the mistake,_

"_Well, we can get to that later if you want, but first…" He stood up abruptly, his hand snaking into his pocket. He sidestepped from the table and knelt down on one knee, his hand pulling out a small black box. Alex very nearly choked on his wine as he figured out what Wolf was implying._

_The soldier opened the box, inside sitting a neat, pristine platinum band. No fancy gemstone; Alex was glad, he never liked pretty things nor would he have wanted a shiny rock affixed to his hand day in day out – Wolf had chosen well, he'd known exactly what Alex would have wanted. They both liked to keep it low key._

"_Do I need to ask 'will you marry me' or do you get the message?" Wolf said gruffly, obviously uncomfortable in public professing marriage; Alex began to laugh. Slowly at first before he was nearly crying. This was _such_ a typical Wolf moment. _

"_You're a lovable idiot," Alex finally said, realising that most of the restaurant was watching. He smiled, "Now you're _my_ lovable idiot."_

_Wolf breathed a quiet sigh of relief as he took out the ring. Taking Alex's left hand, he slid the band onto the ring finger. From around them a small polite applause started up, some waiters and others from other diners like themselves. Alex appraised the ring,_

"_Am I going to have to wear this _all_ the time? I don't know if the bank will allow it." He was worried whether Mrs Jones would approve; despite being such a small thing, the ring could potentially blow his cover._

"_Sod off to the bank, you keep that thing on at all times," Wolf quipped easily, "I want people to know that you're mine." He hugged Alex closely, but let the grip go when a waitress came up and congratulated them both. Alex noticed the change, and so took the initiative,_

"_Can we get the bill please?" He asked casually, and the waitress nodded before scurrying off to fetch their tab. Wolf looked at Alex curiously,_

"_But we haven't had dessert yet…"_

"_I can get dessert at home," Alex whispered quietly, leaning next to Wolf's ear, "If you know what I mean…"_

_A grin lit up on Wolf's face as his hand whipped to get out his wallet. By the time the waitress was back he didn't even bother waiting for change or to see if he'd given too much; he just shoved her a wad of cash, barely uttered the words 'keep the change' before he and Alex and shot out the door._

* * *

Alex held his left hand up into the light, a gold band next to his platinum. He never wanted fancy things or an extravagant lifestyle. He just wanted to live. These thin strips of metal had assured him, and in a way, given him exactly that.

"Cub?" Wolf called from down the hall, wearing nothing but boxers, "Are you coming or not? I've been waiting ages."

"Patience," Alex said slowly, "is a virtue. Learn to appreciate it." He thought for a moment, smiling, "And you know what they say; good things come to those who wait."

"I've waited long enough. Either get your ass in here I haul it in here for you."

"Promises, promises…" Alex chortled, making his way past Wolf and into their bedroom. Wolf just chuckled along with him, closing the door gently, turning off the light as he did so.

Alex Rider-Thompson _was_ right; good things _do_ come to those who wait.

* * *

**Fin**

**I would say it had been short but sweet… but obviously not. **

**Bear in mind, I tried to keep this story as realistic as possible. That includes place names, timing and character developments. In a sense, this was kind of an experimentation into one-shots.**

**Remember, it takes next to no time to leave a review with a few helpful comments, and it's much appreciated.**

**I hope y'all have a good day/night, and I'll see you around whenever if our paths ever happen to cross again.**

**Thanks – K9**

**P.S. One final thing… I will not tolerate those who ignore the message at the very beginning of this story. That'll be all.**_His Hhh_


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